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Eight Tech Companies Form Inventors Alliance

WASHINGTON — Eight top technology companies have joined together to form the High Tech Inventors Alliance (HTIA), dedicated to supporting balanced patent policy.

The Alliance’s members are Adobe, Amazon, Cisco, Dell, Google, Intel, Oracle and Salesforce. They own more than 115,000 U.S. patents and recognize the need of all inventors — from the largest corporation or university to the sole practitioner – to have a well-functioning patent system. These companies have over 447,000 employees in the United States, have invested $62.9 billion in research and development in the past year and hold a total of over 115,000 U.S. patents.

“Innovation means creating new and better products and services. It is fundamental to the success of the high-tech industry and its ability to drive economic growth and create American jobs,” said John Thorne, the Alliance’s general counsel and spokesperson. “Collectively our members spent $62.9 billion on research and development last year and they have over 447,000 employees here in the United States.”

Thorne added: “When the patent system does not function well, it undermines rather than supports innovation, to the detriment of all Americans – inventors, employees, investors in productive businesses and ultimately, consumers.”

Important examples of current dysfunction include the crisis in patent quality, baseless patent assertions, and the chronic persistence of patent troll litigation, which has nearly tripled since 2005.

HTIA supports balanced efforts to address the root causes of these problems while advancing a patent system that promotes investment in new technologies and American jobs.